Utvecklingskostnaders påverkan vid valet mellan K2 och K3
Introduction: Bokföringsnämnden started the K-project in 2004. The purpose was to collect rules and standards for different categories of companies in a complete set of regulations. Small businesses were given the option to choose between K3 which is the main regulatory and K2 which is a simplified regulatory framework. One specific difference between the regulations is that companies may not capitalize development costs if the company applies K2, this may causes problems for the companies that can give rise to such costs.Purpose: The purpose is to explain the problems that companies have identified in the choice of regulatory frameworks and the implications that may follow the specific rule in K2 on the company's activities and financial report.Frame of reference: K3 contains definitions and requirements that must be met so development costs can be capitalized in a company. Information presented in the financial statements should be relevant to the reader. Much of the international research suggests that information on intangibles is relevant information. The valuation of internally generated intangible assets can be considered to be uncertain and therefore the financial information can be seen as unreliable.Method: In order to explain the problem from a business perspective, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with companies that were chosen to fit the purpose of the essay.Results: All the investigated companies will choose K3. The exclusion of internally generated intangible assets is one reason that K2 is not considered suitable. The proposed simplification rules are not considered to be beneficial enough and K3 is considered by many companies to not impose any additional administrative costs. Companies engaged in research and development can be considered to be of such a nature that K2 might be disadvantageous to the company in the future even if the savings in administrative costs initially may seem attractive for a startup company.Suggestions for future research: Recommendations for future research is to examine the actual outcome of the election of the rules, and to investigate the consequences caused.